In October of 1958, Aston Martin revealed their DB4 grand tourer to world. Unlike any other British tourers, it had a fastback body styled by Touring Superleggra of Milan, Italy. As such, the result was remarkably similar to the Maserati 3500.
The DB4 was a much needed replacement for the aging DB2 with its body-on-chassis design. The new DB4 used a pressed-steel chassis tub with a significant amount of round tubing to accommodate the aluminum body panels.
A new 3.7-litre straight six cylinder engine was designed by Tadek Marek for the DB4. It was fitted with SU HD8 carburetors for 240bhp at 5,500 rpm.
The first series of DB4s were produced in the period from October 1958 to January 1960. The Aston Martin Owner’s Club (AMOC) referred to these cars as Series I.
Some of the very first DB4s are easily identified by their lack of door window frames and lack of bumper over riders. After the first 50-or so cars, Aston Martin fitted frames to support the door-windows and combat whistling at high speeds.
After car DB4/249/L Aston Martin updated the model with a larger oil sump, disc brakes and a front mounted hood. This was determined as the turning point for the Series II cars by the AMOC.
| type | Series Production Car |
| production years | 1958 – 1959 |
| released at | 1958 Paris Motor Show |
| built at | England |
| coachbuilder | Carrozzeria Touring |
| production | 150 |
| price $ | $ 9,770 |
| price £/td> | £3,976 |
| engine | Inline-6 |
| position | Front Longitudinal |
| aspiration | Natural |
| block material | All Aluminum |
| valvetrain | DOHC |
| fuel feed | SU Carburettors |
| displacement | 3670 cc / 224.0 in³ |
| bore | 91.95 mm / 3.62 in |
| stroke | 91.9 mm / 3.62 in |
| compression | 8.25:1 |
| engine designer | Tadek Marek |
| power | 179.0 kw / 240 bhp @ 5500 rpm |
| specific output | 65.4 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | 183.49 bhp per tonne |
| torque | 332.2 nm / 245.0 ft lbs @ 4000 rpm |
| body / frame | Aluminum Panels over Box-Section Steel & Tubular Steel Chassis |
| driven wheels | RWD |
| wheel type | Wire Wheels |
| front brakes | Dunlop Discs |
| rear brakes | Dunlop Discs |
| front wheels | F 40.6 x 15.2 cm / 16.0 x 6.0 in |
| rear wheels | R 40.6 x 15.2 cm / 16.0 x 6.0 in |
| steering | Rack & Pinion |
| f suspension | A-Arms w/Coil Springs, Anti-Roll Bar |
| r suspension | Rigid Axle w/Watt Linkage, Coil Springs, Dampers |
| curb weight | 1308 kg / 2884 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2489 mm / 98.0 in |
| front track | 1372 mm / 54.0 in |
| rear track | 1359 mm / 53.5 in |
| length | 4489 mm / 176.7 in |
| width | 1676 mm / 66.0 in |
| height | 1321 mm / 52.0 in |
| transmission | 4-Speed Manual or 3-Speed Auto |
| gear ratios | 2.49:1, 1.74:1, 1.25:1, 1.00:1 |
| final drive | 3.54:1 |
| top speed | ~225.6 kph / 140.2 mph |
| 0 – 60 mph | ~8.5 seconds |
| 0 – 100 mph | ~18.3 seconds |
| 0 – 1/4 mile | ~16.1 seconds |
| combined fuel econ eu | 16.0 L/100 km or 14.70 mpg |
